Useless!!!

I've been nothing short of totally useless for the last couple of weeks.    I've done nothing..... well almost nothing. 

On the sewing front I did manage to start work on my Schnibbles table cover.....

see..... I'm chain piecing 

I could have stopped here... called it bunting and claimed it as a finished project.  But I just can't tell a lie.

Actually I might have told a little white lie if there hadn't been witnesses.......

Chris........ who looks very happy to be stitching a few more Hexies

and Sally showing off her progress on her Fernhill block of the month.    Chris and I haven't started ours yet! 

I found time to cross stitch another bunny......



poor soul.  Her feet aren't finished and her baby is faceless..... looks creepy.   Don't know what I'm going to do with her... yet.

I finished the Humming Birds  ....

Don't they look cheerful.   Don't know if I'll turn them into a scissor fob or do something different with them.  I'm waiting for inspiration..... so don't hold your breath.

Bagpuss says to tell you he's been helping me out.....

he thinks you'll believe that he's actually stitching the next yard of Vignette border.   You don't do you?

That's it.   That's all I've managed to stitch/sew in the last two weeks!

I wish I could tell you that I've been super busy working on the house but that would be a big lie.  This is how the conservatory looks right now....

this is it from the other end.....

I should have finished decorating it by now but all I've managed so far is to repair the plasterwork where we had leaks.  Good news is it's been pouring with rain for the last two days and not a single drop has made it inside.   If it can stand the deluge we've just had it can stand anything.

The builders are almost done.....

The house is looking very.... white!    You need sunglasses to look at it.     Next job for me... power washing the paths and patio.  That will have to wait till I get back.

Chris... Sally... Kitty and me are off to Fobbles tomorrow for a 5 day workshop with Philippa Naylor.  It's Sally's first ever quilting workshop and she's terrified (don't tell her I told you).   The workshop is called 'Drama & Detail'....Studies in Contemporary Machine Applique and Free Motion Machine Quilting!   nothing to panic about there then (gulp).    Better make sure I pack extra tranq's! 

Too late to back out now my bags are packed....

I only wish my brain was as organised as my equipment!  I've just been chatting to Kitty on the phone about our trip.  She was really surprised to hear that I'm looking forward to getting to grips with Invisible Machine Macrame!!    Do you think there could be a market for that?   Reckon I really do need to sleep. I give in. I'm off to bed right now.....

See ya soon

have a brilliant week everyone

Hugs

Josie

Crazy Days.....

I swear if my life gets any crazier I'm going to hand myself in at the asylum before they send a truck to pick me up! 

Before I say anything else here's a photo of the very last block of Boys Story....

just got to attach it to it's pals and the quilt top is done... fini... complete.    Phew!!    Now I've just got to do battle with this beast and get it quilted.   Apologies for Chris's wellington boots making it into the photo and the free advertising for Morrisons supermarket. 

Tilly visited for almost a week.   I was counting on some more free labour in the garden but the weather got in the way.   We had a heatwave.  It actually got hot in Scotland... can you believe that!  So hot that we just couldn't go outside.   Not during the hours of daylight anyway and as for going out in the dark - it gets really spooky here what with the Owls and the Bats etc!

For some strange reason Tilly did more sewing than me.   She finished off both of these....

I particularly like the little rabbit pincushion.  It's the same design I stitched but Tilly did hers with one strand of cotton over one thread of fabric.  That is one midget rabbit..... and I  thought I was OCD!

Tilly, Chris, Sally and I went on an away day too.   We travelled down to the the North East of England to visit a couple of quilt stores.... what else.   First off we hit the The Fat Quarters.......

That's Chris and Sally on the outside looking in.  I hadn't a clue they were out there till I saw the photo.  Maybe they'd gone outside to get some fresh air.  Fabric fumes are dangerous after all... a girl can so easily loose control of her senses not to mention her credit card. 

With such temptation.....

It's a wonder we didn't blow our credit limits!   I was very good.  I limited myself to 10 fat quarters to top up my Dear Jane stash.... a packet of 1/2" hexie papers and  this stitchery pattern by Kathy Schmitz.  It reminded me of home.

We discovered a new Yarn Store had opened right next door.  Of course we had to have a look in there too.....

it's called Woolaballoo  great name eh!   Wool fumes must behave just like fabric ones because both Chris and I left with enough cotton yarn to knit a dozen baby beanie hats.   Heck.... I don't even know any babies!  The hats are really cute though and the yarn colours are gorgeous.

Next stop was Just Quilting and another lovely selection of fabrics.  Sadly the photo's I took inside didn't come out too well so you'll just have to take my word that it's a lovely friendly store with a gorgeous selection of fabrics.   Does this remind you of anything?......

It should do..... it's the quilt pattern that I bought at the Edinburgh Quilt Show last September

the version at Just Quilting was made in Etchings by Three Sisters for Moda.   Hummm... now I can't decide which one I like best.... no surprise there.

Well... that's it for the quilty stuff.    Lots of other things happened like my old faith full 4x4 chose this week to play up.  Have to say it's the first time ever she's been temperamental.   She's been stopping and refusing to start again on and off all week until yesterday when she just took the huff and refused to start at all.  It didn't help that I was 40 miles from home at the time.  It could have been worse.... I suppose.

I'm busy trying to decorate the conservatory now that the external repairs have been done and we are watertight again.  Problem is I just bought the small white table and two chairs that you can see in the first photo and now I'm far more interested in making a quilted cloth for the table than repairing plasterwork and painting.

I bought  this PDF pattern today....

my very first Schnibbles pattern.  I think it'll be perfect cover for my new table.... what do you think?

Ok.... I'd better go now.  It's getting late and I desperately need to get some beauty sleep.   I must work in the conservatory tomorrow so all hope of playing with my Schnibbles pattern is going to have to go on hold till Monday.

Hope you are having a great weekend where you are.   It's the Queens Diamond Jubilee this weekend...  didn't she do well.   God Save The Queen.... bless her cotton socks!

See ya soon....  be good
Hugs
Josie